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When I first listened to this new CD, I thought "how sad." Wincing through "My Waltz" and a few of the other tracks, I imagined Wilson recorded this while someone held a gun to his head or sitting on the toilet. However, on listening a second, third and fourth time, some of these songs sink in and become highly pleasureable over time.Sure, it's standard old-guy rock (plodding tempos, embarrassing guest stars, etc.) but I'm an old guy too. The harmonies are fine, maybe not as excellent as prime Beach Boys; so are the melodies. And with all the touring he's done lately, Brian Wilson seems to be in better voice. My buddy and I were lucky enough to meet him and get our CDs signed in Sherman Oaks in June, and Brian still seems very shy.Bottom line: songs like "How Can We Keep On Dancin'" and the Pet Sounds-flavored title tune are highlights. Best song on the album is "Soul Searchin'" a duet with Brian's late brother Carl, it does bring back the old shiver you get when you hear a great Beach Boys tune. I also like the sheer goofiness of songs like "Desert Drive" (kind of reminiscent of "409") and "Saturday Morning in the City (reminds me of "Busy Doin' Nothin')."So what if most of the lyrics are silly and banal; I like to think they're "childlike." Nonetheless, Paul McCartney's guest shot on "A Friend Like You," while charming, is a waste.But it's summer -- kick off your shoes and turn it up. Enjoy the season, and this moment of Brian Wilson's new music. The weather will change, soon enough.

After 6 years of silence and a couple of years of live shows, the expectations for Brian's new album were very high. The result is frankly quite disappointing, a mish mash of outtakes from previous albums, filler tracks, overall below-standard material, and uncertain production.The best song, "Don't let her know she's an angel", comes from the aborted Sweet Insanity album, and I'm not sure the production here is an improvement on what came out then. The Elton John cooperation isn't bad, but the Paul McCartney one is a forgettable song in which McCartney's contribution amounts to singing the same 5-word phrase over and over again. Honestly - is "A friend like you" the sort of song you'd expect from Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney? "The Waltz" sounds like parody, whilst "Soul Searchin'" isn't bad.Of course, there are some good musical ideas on this album, and it's not the sort of album you just remove from your playlist; however, it compares poorly to other Brian Wilson material. The production sounds rushed and even wrong on some tracks (country-style violins on a Brian Wilson record? Aaaargh!!!), and is far from the polished, solid sound which made even the fillers on, say, Imagination distinctive.It almost looks like the cd booklet's introduction by David Leaf was aimed at trying to "sell" and hype a disappointing record.

It's tempting to see Brian Wilson's "come back" - now complete - as a morality play. Rewind to 1966 at which time Brian, then in his early 20s and just feeling his true gifts, felt like moving toward weirder, deeper and more individualistic expressions of love through music, while the Resistance movement, spearheaded by the commercially driven Mike Love, sided with Capitol's soul-less record company executives in the desire for more teen tunes and formulaic AM hits. I think the stress caused by this unrelenting conflict was the force that played the greatest role in Brian's long, sad decline and descent into decades of mental illness and lethargy, all of which has been documented ad nauseum. A cork on the ocean by 1970, Brian's next 25 years were spent primarily fighting his inner demons and staying afloat.By 1998's Imagination - actually signs were apparent in the Don Was documentary "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" - love had rekindled the muse and Brian, new wife and kids in tow, began to manifest the accomplishment of having somehow reached critical mass in his resilient and relentless pursuit of survival, justifying his ongoing existence with the purpose of writing music to heal the hearts of modern people. While the arrangements on Imagination were often a bit tooslick and tamely "adult," a lot of the tunes, the title track in particular, were right in the pocket, particularly the vocals, certainly up with the best of his material.Fast-forward to a couple of years later and Brian now had the band in addition to the family. He began to exude more confidence, even venturing back into live shows, which his fans have adored, despite the well documented stiffness and socially awkward moments.Read more ›

This new Brian Wilson album opens like SMiLE with a capella harmonies then quickly harkens back to the mid 70's with Elton John's excellent vocal on the verses of "How Could We Still Be Dancin." "Soul Searchin'" the next track has some haunting vocals from Carl Wilson, that only makes one miss him more. I'm guessing Brian put more into this production than on any other song.As for the album as a whole? Well, it's all over the place. Some new tunes, some 15 year old tunes, and some in between. This is not necessarily bad. Brian, even at his peak rarely let anything go unused.The arrangments are terrific, and the layered harmonies (all by Brian except on the "Shut Downesque" Desert Drive") as gorgeous as as ever. Brian's lead vocals sound a bit weary at times, better than in concert lately, but not as good on his 1st solo CD or "Imagination."Repeated listens to this CD only make it better, always a good sign. "Dancin'" and "Desert Drive" will stay in your head all day. And Van Dyke Parks' lyrics on the closing "Waltz" will make you SMiLE, if you get the joke.